-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Over 28,000 Liverpool fans marked the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster in a special memorial service at Anfield on Wednesday .

Liverpool supporters at the Kop end paid their respects in an emotional afternoon at Anfield .

A total of 96 supporters died on April 15 , 1989 before the FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday 's stadium , the worst-ever tragedy in English sporting history .

To commemorate the anniversary , the city of Liverpool came to a standstill at 3.06 pm -LRB- 1406 GMT -RRB- with the bells of the two cathedrals and its civic buildings ringing out in memory of those fans who lost their lives .

On Anfield 's famous Kop , 96 candles were lit while commemorations took place at Hillsborough and also in Nottingham . Watch fans mark Hillsborough ''

Members of the current Liverpool team stood somberly as hymns were played before a roll call of the dead was read out . Club legend Kenny Dalglish , who was Liverpool manager at the time of the disaster , then read a short prayer .

The mayor of Liverpool , Steve Rotherham , who was at the game 20 years ago , helped organize the emotional memorial .

`` Hillsborough affected so many lives , not just on Merseyside but across the whole of the UK , '' he said .

`` I attended the match 20 years ago and the passing years do not diminish the importance and the poignancy of this occasion . ''

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard , whose 10-year-old cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley was the youngest victim of the tragedy , spoke of his feelings this week .

`` Time has gone by , but the scars will never ever be healed and the fans will never ever forget . So you can always rely on our supporters to be there for you when you need them . ''

The Liverpool fans died in a crush which started just before the kick-off as the gate at the Leppings Lane End was opened with terrible consequences . The match started but when the scale of the tragedy became clear , it was swiftly abandoned at 3.06 pm .

In the immediate aftermath , the British government commissioned Lord Justice Taylor to conduct an inquiry which would have a far-reaching impact on football .

Taylor was deeply critical of the police operation at Hillsborough , but his most significant recommendations were the removal of perimeter fencing and the creation of all-seater stadia .

His report also cleared Liverpool fans of blame for the tragedy after lurid tabloid headlines provoked revulsion on Merseyside .

Prime minister Gordon Brown paid reference to the controversy in an interview released on Liverpool 's official television channel .

`` It was wrong for people to blame , as some did , Liverpool fans on that day , '' he said .

`` That 's probably what matters most -- that people understood that the behavior of Liverpool fans in helping each other was magnificent .

`` Let 's never forget the fans who cruelly lost their lives on a day when we know the people of Liverpool were trying to help each other , '' he added .

However , the people of Liverpool are still angry and bitter at the lack of justice for those who died -- and that frustration surfaced when Andy Burnham , the Secretary of State for Culture , Media and Sport took to the stand to address the crowd .

As Burnham spoke , the crowd rose as one to sing `` Justice for the 96 '' . The Kop chant boomed around the stadium and Burnham , an Everton fan , was left in no doubt about the strength of feeling over the lack of accountability from officialdom over the tragedy .

Fittingly , the ceremony was concluded with Gerry Marsden leading the fans in singing Liverpool anthem ` You 'll Never Walk Alone ' .

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A special memorial has marked the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough tragedy

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96 Liverpool supporters died in crush at the Leppings Lane End of the stadium

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The Taylor Report into the deaths led to all-seater grounds in English football